At a Glance
- Tasks: Map and redesign services to enhance user experiences in central government.
- Company: Join Amber Labs, a leading tech consultancy focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hybrid working, private medical insurance, and 25 days annual leave.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in public services while growing your skills in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in service design within the public sector and strong collaboration skills.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to inclusion and personal growth.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
The Company
At Amber Labs, we are a cutting-edge UK and European technology consultancy that prioritises autonomy, experimentation, and rapid learning to deliver exceptional value to our clients. Our company culture is highly collaborative—whether you're a consultant or part of our internal team, everyone contributes to reducing risk and accelerating delivery. We work extensively within the UK public sector, supporting Central Government departments through digital transformation and user-centred design practices.
Role Overview
We are seeking a Service Designer to join a multidisciplinary team on a Central Government engagement. In this role, you'll help map end-to-end services, uncover user pain points, and redesign public-facing and internal journeys that are inclusive, accessible, and aligned to user needs. You'll collaborate closely with researchers, policy experts, interaction designers, and developers to ensure the right outcomes are achieved across entire services—not just at the interface level. This is a high-impact opportunity where your work will directly improve how citizens and civil servants interact with vital government services.
Key Responsibilities
- Service Mapping: Understand and document complex service journeys, systems, and user touchpoints to inform redesign opportunities.
- User-Centred Design: Advocate for user needs through every phase of design and delivery, embedding human-centred principles.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate workshops, playback sessions, and co-design activities with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds—including senior leaders.
- Prototyping & Iteration: Collaborate on developing and testing service prototypes, aligning business, technical, and user needs.
- Evidence-Based Delivery: Work closely with user researchers and analysts to ensure decisions are driven by qualitative and quantitative insights.
- Policy to Delivery Translation: Bridge the gap between policy intent and practical service implementation by designing viable service operating models.
- Service Standards: Ensure all work aligns with GDS Service Standards and adheres to accessibility and inclusion best practices.
- End-to-End Thinking: Consider entire service ecosystems—including digital, offline, operational, and third-party components.
Requirements
- Experience designing services within central government or public sector contexts.
- A strong portfolio showcasing evidence-based service design work across complex systems.
- Experience working with multidisciplinary teams in agile environments.
- Skilled in journey mapping, service blueprints, and identifying pain points across user flows.
- Understanding of how to align policy, user needs, and technology constraints into deliverable services.
- Ability to work closely with user researchers, content designers, interaction designers, and developers.
- Strong workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and shaping strategy from discovery through to delivery.
- Knowledge of accessibility, inclusion, and GDS Service Standards.
- Familiarity with tools such as Miro, Lucidchart, Figma (for collaborative prototyping), and Jira/Confluence.
Join a rapidly expanding consultancy where personal growth is part of our DNA. Flexible hybrid working focused on deliverable outcomes. Private medical insurance (Aviva) and pension plan (Nest). 25 days of annual leave plus UK bank holidays. Access to Perkbox, our employee rewards platform offering discounts, perks, and wellbeing resources. Generous employee referral programme. Choose your preferred device – PC or Mac. Be encouraged to take bold steps and embrace experimentation.
Diversity & Inclusion
Amber Labs is proud to be building a workplace that reflects and celebrates the diversity of our teams and communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees are welcomed, respected, and supported. Providing a culture of dignity and respect free from harassment and discrimination. Ensuring all hires are trained and aware of their role in creating a safe, equitable workplace.
What Happens Next?
Our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch to advise you on the next steps. We typically run a two-stage interview process, with a third and final stage with our Partners only if necessary.
Service Designer - Must have central government experience in Manchester employer: Amber Labs
Contact Detail:
Amber Labs Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Designer - Must have central government experience in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your field, especially those who work in central government or have experience with service design. Attend industry events or webinars, and don’t be shy about asking for informational interviews. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best service design projects, especially those related to public sector work. Use case studies to demonstrate how you’ve tackled user pain points and improved services. This will make you stand out when you apply through our website.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of GDS Service Standards and accessibility best practices. Be ready to discuss how you’ve applied these principles in your previous roles. Practising common interview questions can also help you feel more confident when it’s your turn to shine!
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way in showing your enthusiasm for the role. Mention something specific from your conversation to remind them of your fit for the position. And remember, applying through our website is the best way to get noticed!
We think you need these skills to ace Service Designer - Must have central government experience in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your central government experience in your application. We want to see how you've tackled service design challenges in the public sector, so don’t hold back on those examples!
Tailor Your Portfolio: Your portfolio should reflect your best work, especially projects that align with user-centred design principles. We love seeing evidence-based designs, so include case studies that demonstrate your process and outcomes.
Engage with Our Values: Familiarise yourself with our company culture and values. When writing your application, let us know how you embody collaboration, experimentation, and a commitment to improving public services.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity at Amber Labs!
How to prepare for a job interview at Amber Labs
✨Know Your Service Design Inside Out
Make sure you can talk confidently about your experience in service design, especially within central government contexts. Prepare specific examples from your portfolio that showcase your ability to map complex service journeys and identify user pain points.
✨Emphasise User-Centred Design
Be ready to discuss how you've advocated for user needs in past projects. Highlight your understanding of human-centred principles and how you've embedded them into your design processes, ensuring that the services you create are inclusive and accessible.
✨Show Off Your Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves working closely with multidisciplinary teams, prepare to share examples of how you've facilitated workshops or co-design activities. Talk about how you’ve engaged stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and ensured their input shaped the final outcomes.
✨Demonstrate Evidence-Based Decision Making
Prepare to explain how you've used qualitative and quantitative insights to drive your design decisions. Discuss your experience working with user researchers and analysts, and how you’ve translated policy intent into practical service implementations.